CNBC has named Steve Jobs the most influential person of the last 25 years. On a list entitled “First 25: Rebels, Icons & Leaders,” Jobs ranks above the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffet — along with the founders of Google, Amazon, and other tech giants.

His creative genius revolutionized not just his industry and its products, but also everything from music and movies to smartphones. He provided a platform for others to create and distribute apps, bringing innovation and change to an even wider sphere. Apple’s co-founder tops our anniversary list of the 25 most transformative leaders, icons and rebels of the past-quarter century. More than any other member of our group of extraordinary entrepreneurs and executives—all outstanding leaders—his vision spurred changes far beyond his industry and put an indelible stamp on the wider culture.

There’s one thing to note, however. In the first line of CNBC’s potted Steve Jobs bio, the news television group offers the opinion that, “As Bill Gates shaped the experience of using the personal computer that sat on our desks, so Steve Jobs fashioned the experience of using the one we now carry around.”

While coming in at first place means that there’s certainly nothing to cry about, suggesting that Bill Gates played more of a role “[shaping] the experience” of using a personal computer is just flat-out wrong. Has his OS appear on more machines than Jobs’ did? Sure. Did its innovations change how the majority of people think computers should work? Most definitely not.

Nice honor, but that’s easily one of the worst portraits of him that I’ve seen

San Diego Dave

It’s always a good thing when Jobs’s contributions are “officially” recognized outside of Apply fandom, but the other side of that coin is that it perpetuates the myth that Apple’s greatest innovations were a one-man show, and by extension the current media narrative that Apple is a “haunted empire” with no more vision. That may turn out to be true, but we won’t know for another 5 years or so.

http://andjoh.com andoh

RIP Mr Jobs or is it Sir Jobs?

dcj001

“Steve Jobs is the most influential person of the past 25 years, says CNBC”

Actually, CNBC did not say that. CNBC said:

“Here is our ranked list of the 25 people we judge to have had the most profound impact on business and finance since 1989.”

“Finance and business” are the words that you forgot to include.

William Donelson

What about Dick “let’s kill 150,000+ for Money” Cheney?

Chris Hatch

The only innovation he had in years was in marketing and litigation. Get people to believe how good something is, and get the courts to believe that they actually invented it. :-D

About the author

Luke Dormehl is a UK-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems, And Create More and The Apple Revolution, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme, and other publications. He'd like you a lot if you followed him on Twitter.

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